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Micah 4 (ESV)
The Mountain of the Lord
1 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
2 and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore;
4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 For all the peoples walk
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.
REFLECTION:
- The prophet Micah understood that God’s judgment on the Israelites was to make them repent, be holy, and enjoy the blessings He gave them. Therefore, he showed people his hope for the future: the kingdom of God must be established, higher than all the powers in the world (1); and in the latter days, many people will look to God, take refuge in His kingdom, and follow His instructions to establish a universal peace (2).
- At that time, the highest adjudicator ruled all nations, and all peoples were based on His judgment. To live together peacefully under His rule, there is no need to learn about warfare (3), because everyone has their own homeland, lives abundantly, and there is no greed at all, which leads to world peace (4).
- Of course, the prophet Micah’s prophecy refers to the kingdom of peace introduced by the Messiah’s coming, but from the perspective of the New Testament, it refers to the kingdom established when Jesus Christ came to earth and died and rose for sinners. This kingdom is based on love and salvation as the foundation. Some commentators believe that this prophecy refers to the millennial kingdom established when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in the last days.
PRAYER:
Dear God, today’s world is full of injustices, there are wars everywhere, and natural and man-made disasters continue to occur. Please let me know that this is the end time, and that the day of the Lord Jesus’ return is approaching. I will wait with all my heart, hoping for God’s kingdom of peace to come.
HYMN:
The Day Approaches; Jesus Soon Is Coming – youtu.be/X0VIIkB_Y68